Cardinal Walter Kasper was born in Heidenheim-Brenz, Germany, in 1933 and was ordained in 1957. The author of many scholarly books and articles, he was professor of dogmatic theology at the University of Tübingen until his appointment as bishop of Rottenberg-Stuttgart in 1987. Cardinal Kasper has served as a member of the World Council of Churches' Faith and Order Commission, co-chair of the Lutheran-Catholic Commission of Unity, and a Vatican representative in discussions with the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC). In 1999 he was appointed secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and 2001, its president, in connection with which he also serves as president of the Vatican’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews.